You and Me
by Katertots
Summary: Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf are best friends and have been almost from the moment they first met as children. Now at 27, Blair returns to the UES in need of her best friend and a place to live. Will these two remain BFFs or become something more?
1. Prologue: In the Beginning

_December 20, 1997_

_The Waldorf Penthouse_

_New York City_

_Six year old Chuck Bass ducked out of what had been deemed the "kids' room" of the Christmas party in the home of Harold and Eleanor Waldorf. The kids inside were stupid and playing games for babies, in his opinion. One little boy, he was pretty sure, had picked his nose and then proceeded to eat it. He shuddered at the disgusting memory and went in search of something more entertaining with people that didn't repulse him. He hadn't wanted to come to this party in the first place. He'd have rather stayed at home watching a movie or reading, but his father and future step-mother had insisted that it would do him good to meet some of his new classmates before the next school term started. His soon-to-be step-sister, Serena, was around here somewhere. She must've been smart enough to know that the "kids' room" would be lame and wisely avoided it at all costs. _

_As far as future step-sisters went, he guessed she was alright. It wasn't as if he'd had a sibling before to compare, but she didn't annoy him too much and they got along well enough—even though they didn't really like the same things at all and she was always flittering about and constantly moving. He didn't think he'd seen her stand still for more than ten seconds at a time. Chuck preferred to sit back and observe others, to take in everything around him. He found that infinitely more interesting than the go-go-go style Serena possessed. _

_Voices floated through the air from a door at the end of the hallway. The voices sounded vaguely familiar and he carefully peered in through the door that had been left ajar. He saw that the room was empty save for a little girl that appeared to be about his age lying on her bed watching a movie. Chuck quietly pushed open the door and entered dimly lit pink room. The girl had long hair, the color much like his own, a dark brown that he'd heard described as chestnut. Hers was curled and adorned with a red headband that matched the red velvet of her dress. "Is that _Breakfast at Tiffany's_?" he asked, startling the girl._

_Blair shrieked and pushed herself to her knees, grabbing a pillow to either throw at, or shield her from, the intruder. "You scared me!" she admonished. "What are you doing in here?" Her little heart raced as she stared at the boy before her with the curious dark eyes and amused expression twisting on his lips. _

"_Sorry I scared you," Chuck said, walking further into the room, despite not having been invited, to stand before the girl with the dark curls and porcelain skin. "I heard the movie and I thought I'd come watch it."_

"_Who are you?" she asked snootily._

"_Who are you?" he shot back, crossing his arms over his chest, a move he'd seen his father do countless times. _

"_I asked you first," she clipped, throwing her pillow down on the bed and placed her fisted hands on her hips. "This is my house, so you'd better tell me before I have you thrown out."_

"_You must be Blair Waldorf then," Chuck replied, smiling at her annoyed expression. _

"_I am and you still haven't answered my question."_

"_I'm Chuck Bass."_

"_So you're Chuck Bass," she said, a sneaky smile on her lips. "Serena told me about you. Shouldn't you be down in the room with the rest of the kids?" she asked, arching a brow. _

_Chuck smirked and laughed lightly. "Have you met the kids down there? Half of them probably haven't learned to stop eating paste and once the booger eating began, I had to get outta there." _

_Blair giggled and covered her mouth. She didn't like any of the children in that room either and decided that she and Chuck were the same in that regard. "They are losers," she agreed. "That's why I hide out in here when my mother insists on inviting them to our home."_

"_Why don't you hang out with Serena then?" he asked._

_She shrugged. "I do most of the time, but she can't sit still long enough to watch a movie. She's probably off chasing after Nate Archibald anyway."_

"_Jealous?" he inquired with a smirk._

_Blair rolled her eyes and scoffed at his suggestion. "No. Serena can have Nate Archibald. He may be the cutest boy in our class, but he's only one step above the paste-eaters in my opinion."_

_It was Chuck's turn to laugh, which he did, having been pleasantly surprised by her candor. "Can we watch the movie now?" He sat on the edge of her bed and saw her hands fist at her hips again._

"_I didn't ask you to sit down, Chuck Bass."_

"_What's the big deal, Blair Waldorf?" _

"_How do you even know this movie?" she wondered._

_Chuck shrugged, "My nanny made me watch this with her one time. It's okay."_

_Blair's little face was incredulous. "It's better than okay. This is the best movie ever made. I want to be just like Audrey Hepburn when I grow up."_

_He found her statement rather silly, but he knew better than to say so. Instead, he fought the smile and merely nodded in agreement. "Can I watch the best movie ever made then or will you send me back to Loserville?"_

_She cocked her head to the side and studied him intensely for a moment before making her decision. "I guess it would be alright for you to stay. Besides, you're going to be Serena's step-brother and we'll be in the same class." Blair scooted over to the far side of her bed and lay back down on her stomach, propping her chin on her fists. Chuck followed suit, miming her actions and laid down beside her. _

_Blair felt him looking at her and she turned her head. When he grinned at her, she rolled her eyes. "Nice bowtie."_

_Chuck smirked and replied "Nice headband," before turning his attention to the playing movie._


	2. Chapter 1: Homecoming

**A/N: **Well, this is an update to a prologue I wrote long, long ago. Thanks to some brainstorming with a few helpful ladies, I decided to resurrect this story. This is a pretty AU story, so if AU isn't up your alley, this may not be the story for you. I do try very hard to keep the characterizations of Chuck and Blair true to the characters that I see and love on TV. A very special thank you to Robin, Mandy, Maggie and Kat for their help along the way. Thanks for putting up with my crazy creative process. Mwah! :)

* * *

_Home is not where you live, but where they understand you._ –Christian Morgenstern

October 6, 2017

The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. The Empire City. No matter how many nicknames New York City had, the one that mattered most to Blair Waldorf was _home_. And she hadn't been home in a long time. She stared longingly out the window of the 747 as the aircraft carrier slowly began its descent. It had been an extraordinarily long flight from Paris and she was drained, both physically and emotionally. At least she'd be on the ground and homeward bound soon enough, she mused. Well, not that she had an actual home in the city now that Eleanor and Cyrus were living in London, but that could be dealt with later—she just wanted to be on American soil.

She'd been living abroad for far too long and the City of Lights' charm had long since worn off. Perhaps it hadn't been the city's charm that had worn off, but her boyfriend (make that ex-boyfriend) Henri's instead. Things between them had been fun and casual (to her mind), but he'd gone and popped the question and ruined everything that worked between them. She'd fancied herself in love with him for awhile, but having the words _forever _and_ Henri_ linked together had freaked her out and sent her packing. Now it was time to figure out her next step. And that required, as always, the assistance of her best friend. Any time she needed anything—an ear to bend, a reputation to ruin, a shoulder to cry on—he was there to listen, to plot, to console. It was what they did for one another and had ever since they were children.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please place your seats and tray tables in the upright position and remain seated with your seatbelts securely fastened. We will be on the ground shortly. Flight attendants, please prepare for landing."

The captain's voice over the loud speaker set her tummy doing somersaults. It wouldn't be long now, and she couldn't wait to surprise everyone with her return.

"Thank you for flying Continental. We know you have a choice in air travel and we thank you for your business. The local time is 3:03pm Eastern Standard Time and the temperature is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Please check the monitors for gate information if you have a connecting flight and if New York is your final destination, welcome home."

Blair hoisted her oversized suitcase from the baggage carousel and wheeled it over to the driver she'd hired. He immediately relieved her of the bags and led her to the black town car waiting outside. She sank against the buttery soft leather of the seat and leaned her head against the glass to take in the familiar scenery as they taxied through the city.

A smile spread across her features when the car slowed to a stop outside Bass Industries. An excited thrill bubbled through her as she stepped out onto the bustling city sidewalk and inhaled the crisp autumn air. She was only moments away from seeing her best friend now, and the fact that he had absolutely no clue whatsoever that she was coming made it even better.

When the elevator chimed on the right floor, she smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles of her skirt and headed for his office. His secretary's desk was unoccupied, so she breezed past and stood outside the cracked open door. The corners of her mouth turned up when his voiced sounded in the hallway. He was so business-like and grownup sounding on the phone that she couldn't fight the smile that lit up her face nor the sense of pride she felt for him and everything he had accomplished at Bass Industries. She knocked lightly and heard him bark "What?"

Blair flounced into his office and noticed that he was still on the phone. "Hey, Bass," she greeted.

Chuck's head whipped around at the sound of her voice, a look of pure incredulity on his chiseled face. "I'm going to have to call you back. Hmm? Trouble just walked back into my life." He put the phone down as his smirk gave way to a genuine grin. "Waldorf! What the hell are you doing here?" Rising to his feet, he moved around his desk and caught her as she launched herself at him and hugged her tight.

"Hi," she giggled when he lifted her briefly off her feet. Once she was firmly on the ground again, she pulled back to look at him and sighed. "I've missed you, Chuck Bass." The smile that hadn't left her face since she set foot in Bass Industries set the dimples winking in her cheeks.

"Missed you, too, Waldorf," he murmured, studying her face. He perched casually on the edge of his desk. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Oh, I was sick of Paris," she said lightly, maneuvering around his desk, helping herself to the large executive chair. "I needed a change of scenery." She spun around to face the window. "Nice view."

Chuck angled his head to look at her, not quite believing that his best friend had popped up at his office door unannounced. "Just sick of Paris, huh?" He knew her better than anyone and he knew when something was up. And something was definitely up. "Would this have anything to do with your Frenchman?"

Blair turned in her chair and rolled her eyes. "He has a name, Chuck." When he only quirked an eyebrow, she groaned. "Fine. Yes, Mr. Nosy, it does."

"Oh, please let me take a stab at this one," he said, amusement shading his tone. "Did his beret collection become too large and force him out of the closet?"

"This coming from a man who wears ascots and bowties and who models his personal style after Gordon Gekko?" she retorted.

Chuck smirked. She'd always been quick with a quip. "But the difference, Waldorf," he rasped slowly, "is that I make this—" he gestured from his head to his ridiculously expensive Italian leather shoes, "irresistible."

"I see you haven't gotten any less full of yourself while I was gone," Blair said drolly.

"Never," he grinned. "Now you're avoiding. What happened with _Henri _that sent you back to New York? Did he propose and spook you?"

Blair just blinked, rendered momentarily mute. She watched him walk over to the bar and return with a glass of amber liquid that he shoved into her hand. She drank deep, feeling the warmth trickle through her. "It's fucking eerie how you can do that, Bass," she said at last.

"Well, I'm not one to say _I told you so_—"

Blair interrupted him with a guffaw. "Please. You'd better watch out for those lightning bolts, Chuck."

He flashed a crooked smile. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't like being right about this one."

"Whatever, I'm over it." She waved him off. "New subject, please."

Yep, definitely avoiding. But he knew how to pick and choose his battles, and this was not a battle that would be fought today. "How long are you in town?"

"Indefinitely. Permanently. I don't know," she shrugged, studying her manicure and making a mental note to get them redone as soon as possible.

"About time, Waldorf. The Upper East Side isn't the same without you around."

She dropped her hands to her lap and fixed him with a pointed look. "So I've read in the tabloids. You've been up to no good, Chuck," she laughed.

"Good is boring," he said devilishly. "You know that just as well as I do. And please don't tell me you flew in from Paris to lecture me, because I get enough of that from my father."

Blair held up her hands as a sign of peace. "I'm not lecturing. And don't be so hard on Bart, he loves you."

"Whose side are you on, Judas?" Chuck snarled.

She pursed her lips, giving him a hard look. "Don't be stupid. I'm always on your side. You and Bart just butt heads because you're exactly alike."

"You do know how to wound a man, Blair. I suppose you're going to want to stop by his office next."

Blair flashed him another winning smile. "What a splendid idea, Bass," she said, getting up from the chair and heading for the door. "Lead the way."

Chuck hooked his arm around her shoulders and crushed her to his side. "You're such a pain in the ass, Waldorf, but I am glad that you're back." He pressed a noisy kiss to her temple that made her squeal and wriggle away.

They were still laughing when they reached Bart Bass' office. His secretary looked up in annoyance. "Mr. Bass," she greeted with a curt nod.

"Joan," Chuck clipped in response. "Is he in?"

"He'll be back in just a moment. You can wait for him inside."

Chuck held the eye roll at bay and lead Blair into his father's office, shutting the door behind them.

"What was with the arctic reception?" she inquired, not having missed the tension between Bart's secretary and Chuck.

Chuck poured himself a glass of his father's best scotch and gulped it down. "She hates me," he offered. He put the glass back and took the seat next to Blair.

"That much I gathered. Why?"

He crossed his foot over his knee and cast a sideways glance in her direction. "I might have slept with her daughter and then not returned any of her calls."

Blair snorted out a dry laugh, tried to mask it as a cough when he shot her a hard look. "Sorry, but it sounds as though Joanie's daughter isn't the brightest bulb. She clearly doesn't understand that getting Bassed is a one-time only event."

Chuck smirked. "You're just full of witty remarks today."

The office door opened and Bart stepped in. His scowl melted away and his eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw Blair sitting with Chuck. "Blair! When did you get back into town?"

"This afternoon." She stood and hugged the elder Bass, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne and the cigars he tried to hide from Lily. He was like a second father to her and she had missed him terribly while she was away. She gave him her brightest smile when she stepped back, the threat of tears stinging her eyes.

"It's wonderful to see you, my dear," he said warmly, briefly cupping her face. "It's been far too long."

"I know—it's good to see you. I'll drop by and visit both you and Lily once I get settled," Blair promised.

"We will hold you to that. Where are you staying?"

"I'm hoping your son will take pity on his homeless best friend for a little while," she said, tossing a look over her shoulder at Chuck.

Chuck's lips twitched. "For you? Anything."

"Good," Blair giggled. "Because I already had my things sent over to your penthouse."

Feedback feeds the muse. Please let me know, good or bad, what you think of this. I'd greatly appreciate it. Stay tuned...


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